There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall. ~ Colette

“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.” ~Pearl S. BuckI wonder if she really felt that way. I disagree. I feel it is a way to look into my own heart, without judgement from others, and to re-energize my spirit, finding new inspiration ... then share it, with others. Her expression of answering to another heart - sounds like a call for a "heart-to-heart hug" to me! ~nrl “The trouble is not really in being alone, it's being lonely. One can be lonely in the midst of a crowd, don't you think?” ~Christine Feehan, Dark PrinceI'd rather be alone, than lonely in a crowd, yes, you can be lonely in a crowd, Christine!" ~nrl“There is a certain strength in being alone.” ~Heather Duffy Stone

“There are people who like to be alone without feeling lonely at all.” ~Toba Beta “There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that, for me, being with people or even with one beloved person for any length of time without solitude is even worse. I lose my center. I feel dispersed, scattered, in pieces. I must have time alone in which to mull over my encounter, and to extract its juice, its essence, to understand what has really happened to me as a consequence of it.” ~May Sarton